Destined:  Ruby
by kiaronna
Summary: Latia is girl living in Sootopolis.  She is mute, pale, and works well with her pokemon.  However, when she finds links to the past and begins to discover who she is, everything changes.  Her Destiny has been decided.
1. Chapter 1

_A/N: __Kiaya: Well, I don't own pokemon. Nope. I'm not claiming it. Oh, and if you're wondering, this isn't really a 'trainer' story. Please read and review, and enjoy!_

Destiny: Ruby

It was a rainy, stormy day. The people in Sootopolis knew this because the water in their "bay" was churning, and the sky above them was black. Many days, trainers would surface through the bay to reach the Gym Leader, Wallace- But today, everyone knew there would be none.

Mary, a sensible women in her early forties, found herself out in the bad weather, looking for her husband, Robert.

"Darn him," she muttered, sloshing through the water rising along the bay coast, pulling up her sensible brown dress. "He saw the black clouds this morning. He knew, of course. But no, he has to go out to train in this indecent weather!"

A door nearby opened. "Mrs. Kando!" A little boy called. "What are you doing out in the rain?"

His mother poked her head out of the door too. "Mary! What are you doing out there? It's raining Meowths and Poochyenas!"

"It's Robert. He's somewhere on this island. Have you seen him?"

The little boy, whose name was Lee, thought for a second, wrinkling his nose. "No."

"I think I saw him go over to that piece of ground over the way..." The mother, Marlie, finished, brushing her son away from the door. She looked apologetically at Mary before closing the door, preventing Lee from getting outside.

"Thank you," Mary called, hoping they could hear. Now in even worse spirits, she continued along, trying to avoid the rising water. She needed to get back SOON. They hadn't had a storm this big since long ago.

She groaned as a piece of wood slammed into her ankle, knowing she would have a fresh bruise and a scratch to deal with. Things were already floating around, and she had to dodge them every once in a while. She couldn't stay out much longer. Where was Robert?

Then, in the surf, she saw something strange. What appeared to be a bundle of clothes was floating along, nearing her.

As it got closer, she realized; it was a person. A little girl, to be exact. Her short, pure red hair reached her shoulders, spiky, yet soft. She couldn't be more than 5 or 6.

Mary waded towards her, wondering if the child was alive. She doubted it. The pale complexion on the girl was frighteningly white. When she touched the girl's small arm, she seemed colder than how a girl should be.

She was turning away when she heard a short, high-pitched note. It seemed to pierce through everything. When she looked back at the child, she slowly placed a hand on the girl's neck. A soft, but steady pulse greeted her.

She picked up the child, who was amazingly light, and carried her back towards dry land, where she was greeted by Robert, who happened to have returned.

As she lay the little girl down, she realized the water was beginning to calm. The storm was dying out.

People were beginning to emerge from their houses in the light mist, calling the names of their neighbors.

Mary slowly passed her hand over the girl's mouth- She was breathing. Then, her fawn eyes opened, and she gazed up at Mary.

"Are you all right?" Mary asked, reaching over to help the girl sit up. "What happened to you?"

The girl didn't speak, just looked at them all, dazed.

"What's wrong with her?" Robert asked.

Mary shook her head. "I don't know..." She turned to glare at him. "Reminding me, where WERE you??"

He shrunk back from her angry eyes, then turned to the child.

"Hm... Hey, sweetie. Where's your parents? What town?"

She just shook her head weakly, putting her shaking hands on her knees.

A doctor rushed over. "It must be a state of shock. I'm sure she'll be okay."

Mary, however, looked worriedly at the little girl. "I hope so... I hope so..."

Two years later...

Mary looked over the girl's shoulder. "Oh, that's very nice, dear."

Her neat, sloping handwriting clearly wrote "Diglet" on the paper, and then she drew half an oval and a small mouth and two eyes.

She motioned with the paper, towards Mary.

"It's a wonderful Diglet." She paused. "Have you learned all the letters of the alphabet?"

The girl nodded, slowly.

"Would... Could you write your name, dear? Do you remember it?"

She anxiously watched as the little girl she had adopted as her own, because they couldn't find her parents, the one she had saved in the storm, the one whose name she had not learned yet, thought.

Tapping her marker soundlessly on the paper, she finally wrote a letter. But then she stopped. Finally, she pushed the paper away and started coloring her Diglet. Mary sighed softly, then went away to prepare dinner. Later, she brought in a steaming tray of macaroni and cheese, setting it down in front of the girl. She looked up, surprised.

"What are you drawing now, honey?"

She blinked, and motioned to the paper.

On it, five letters were printed.

Latia.

_A/N: Well, does it sound good? Please tell me what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2

Destined: Ruby

Chapter 2

_A/N: Well, here's chapter 2!! Yay! Some plot will be revealed here! Thanks to my reviewer, misty4ever!! I'm glad you liked it!!_

6 years later...

Latia sat on edge of the bay, watching waves lap the shore. She was so occupied that she didn't notice someone coming from behind.

"Hey," Lee said, now a full grown boy of 12. "Are you going to go to the Gym?"

She stood up, dusted herself off, and nodded.

"Wallace says we've got a visitor coming today for sure," Lee added, used to conversations with only one side. "You know that one hot-shot trainer that's been going around, beating the Gym Leaders and such? Well, she's coming today. They did a report on her last night on the TV."

Latia never watched TV. She disliked it, and the bright pictures always gave her a spinning headache. Like she'd grown up without them.

Now older, Latia was the star junior trainer of the water Gym. A natural bond existed between her and her pokemon, and it seemed like everyone could sense it.

There wasn't something quite right about it, but nobody ever said a word.

They seemed to have forgotten that the girl had arrived on the waves, in a dark storm.

She herself didn't remember any of it. In fact, a dark cloud shrouded every part of her memory before Mary.

Before she knew it, deep in her thoughts, she was running into a girl.

Stepping back and making an attempt at a sorry look, the girl's face caught her off guard.

Wisdom, hurt, sorrow. All mixed into one face. And even though she wore a smile, her haunted look scared Latia. Something tragic and terrible had happened to this girl.

There was something about her that made chills creep up and down her spine. Memories. A flash of blue. Water. Terror.

And then it was gone with gasp from Lee.

"You look way older on TV!!"

Her eyebrow rose. Latia cleared her head and glanced at the girl before her.

Shoulder-length black hair framed her slightly tanned face. Her sharp green eyes shined. She didn't look all that bad... On the outside.

"You're Emma Reynolds, right?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am. Who are you two?" Her gaze swept over Lee and landed on Latia.

"This is Latia," Lee said, motioning with one hand. "She's gonna beat you down before you even reach Wallace."

Emma smiled wanly. "I'll look forward to that, Latia... Do you have anything to say?"

She shook her head slowly.

"She's mute," Lee explained.

Emma didn't say another word. Her eyebrow raised again. She looked deep in thought- Latia could almost see the thoughts swirling behind her eyes.

_'The sooner that this creepy girl is gone,'_ Latia thought, _'The better.'_

"Come on to the Gym with us," Lee invited. "It's gonna storm soon. You'll want to be inside."

Storm. The word brought back memories, unflooding from their chambers again, so many and so fast, she couldn't concentrate at all. This had never, ever happened before, and as Emma swung her face around, the green eyes intensified the flow. Hammering at her head, she fainted.

_"It's storming again," a girl in front of her murmured. "Storming all the time." _

_The girl's sad blue eyes turned. "When will mother come back, Stella?"_

_Another girl, standing beside her, had blue hair and icy blue eyes. "Regina, she will come back when she comes. She told us to stay here."_

_"She's not coming back, is she?" A boy voice came from behind. "She's never coming back."_

_"Of course she is!" Stomping a foot, the first little girl shook her wild brown curls._

_Stella shook her head softly. "You don't have to do that all the time," she said, glaring behind Latia at the boy. "We'd be better off if you didn't. Come, Regina... Shouldn't you come take a nap?" The brown curls shook._

_"Make him take it back."_

_"Nap time," Stella insisted. Leading Regina off, Latia felt herself being dragged along suddenly. _

_"We can't stay here," the boy voice said. "We have to go. We'll rot here. We'll never be able to help our city like this."_

_Her mouth opened, much to her surprise, to answer. "But Lady Laru said-"_

_"I know. But still..."_

_She knew, without being told, that the boy in front of her was her brother. Somehow. So she stopped resisting, and found herself being pulled through what felt like an endless cavern._

_As often happened in dreams, Latia found that time had drawn ahead. She couldn't control anything in this dream- She moved on her own._

_Now she was in water, screaming. "Brother! BROTHER!!"_

_"Kick!" His voice, beside her, insisted. But even as he spoke he was drifting away._

_"Brother, do something! I don't want to be alone!!"_

_"I can't do anything," he spoke, tired and rejected now. "I used up all my power to get us out... I'm so sorry!" He paused, and then whispered, "Find me."_

_"How??" She screamed, trying to be heard over the fierce storm. _

_"Find me! I don't know how! But I'll try and find you. Look for me, sister! Latia-"_

_A boom of thunder, and then_

"Will she be okay?" A familiar voice asked. Lee's. It was so different from her dream. The voice comforted her, and she realized that whatever had happened was over now.

"She just suffered a mild heatstroke," said what Latia assumed was a doctor, in that tone of voice that said they had no idea what had happened.

Latia raised a hand, and slowly opened her eyes.

"Hey, she's awake!" Lee exclaimed, bouncing over to the bed. "Latia, you wouldn't guess! Emma already beat Wallace, but she stayed with us for a while, of course, because she wanted to check on you, now she's back in the waiting room, and she said to tell you that she was sorry, it might have been the fall when she knocked you over that caused this and..."

He continued to ramble, and Latia gave a silent laugh. It felt good to be in a comfortable environment with her talkative friend.

No storms, no mysterious voices, no brother that whispered, _'Find me.'_

_'Find me.'_ If that was a dream, then... She should just ignore it.

But she had the feeling that what had happened wasn't a dream at all. In fact, it felt more like a memory.

And she knew that, dream or not, she had to find him.

_A/N: Er... Okay. Was it good? Did I update fast enough? Please read and review! _


	3. Chapter 3

_A/N: Wheee, chapter! Sorry for any wait! Read and review!_

Chapter 3

"Are you sure you're okay?" Emma sat beside the bed, a well-concealed worried expression on her face.

Latia nodded, tired.

"All right, then." She stood up, and turned.

Latia was struck by inspiration. She poked Lee, who was sitting on the other side of the bed, and made a motion with her hands.

"Your pad?" He shook his head. "I don't have it. Will paper do?"

She nodded. He handed her a sheet, and she hurriedly scribbled, 'Emma, can I travel with you?' It was a strange question. She barely knew this girl, and her eyes made Latia feel faint, but she needed someone to travel with. Although she was a stranger, Latia felt a connection deeper than normal.

Emma took a look, and seemed to think. Thoughts swirled behind her dazed eyes, and finally, she nodded.

Latia had someone that she could search with.

Days later...

The two girls sat in silence, mostly. Latia couldn't talk, and Emma rarely did.

It was only sitting around the fire one night, on an island, searching for EverGrande City, that the question Latia had been dreading popped out.

"Why did you want to travel with me?"

Latia's fingers fumbled with the pencil.

"You had a life back there, you know. A way to go. Out here, you're just a trainer. You don't even have any badges."

Slowly, she began to write.

'Sometimes, don't you ever feel there's something that you have to do, something that's calling you? For you, it's probably being the best pokemon trainer ever. For me, it's not.'

Emma's eyes glanced over the answer. She turned her head, firelight dancing on her black hair.

"I used to want to be the best." Emma stood, her voice shaking. "I wanted to win every battle, to let people know how good I was. For people to look at me and say, 'She's the best.' To be strong. Now, I can barely hope for stability and peace in the world. Battles aren't really my thing anymore. I only fight because that's what I started out doing. Once I've earned enough money, I'm going to settle down, get a job, and live my life."

Latia smiled. 'Get married, have kids. But why can't you quit and live with your parents for a while? You're still young enough.'

Emma laughed, coldly and inwardly. "My parents are dead. And I'm never getting married."

That was the end of their conversation. It made Latia wonder. Was her life really back there, with Mary and the Gym? Why was she out here chasing dreams? If they were crushed, like Emma's were, then she'd be just like Emma. The thought scared her more than she could bear.

Finally, she went to bed for a night of tossing and turning.

When she awoke, Emma was tending to the fire as always. A Wailmer floated in the water near them, every once in a while blowing out its hole.

Emma stood. "We'll be going onwards on my Wailmer."

Latia nodded, then glanced out at the ocean. Water stretched before them, with dark patches of deep water every once in a while. She was reminded for a split second of her dream- And it occurred to her that the dream was slowly fading from her memory. She tried to grasp it and hold on, but it slipped, and she was left with only words. Find me.

Emma slid onto the Wailmer's back, her eyes filling at once with a kindness she had never seen before. Pokemon were what made Emma happy, even if there wasn't too much of it. So much pain had to have bright spots.

The water was clear, and Latia's feet hung off the Wailmer as they went along. She could see pokemon swimming beneath them: Chinchous and Wailmers and Clamperls and everything.

And then there was the dark, deep water. They were above it, and she couldn't see anything at all. However, Latia was worried. Something about the situation seemed too... Too good.

"Don't hang your legs off the side here," Emma muttered. "Don't want a Sharpedo biting them off."

She quickly swung her legs off, and just in time, as a dark shape emerged from the water, throwing both Latia and Emma from Wailmer's back.

Her mouth opened wide in what could have been a scream, Latia disappeared under the waves, into the sea below.

Everything seemed so unreal. Latia knew how to swim, but her mind wasn't working properly. She was sure she was going to die. And then... With a swoop, she was out of the ocean, on the back of a Relicanth, being smacked on the back by Emma.

"Is she okay?" The voice struck a chord somewhere... But she couldn't remember...

She could barely see Emma nodding through clouded eyes.

"She's breathing. Latia. Come on."

Latia coughed, and tried to sit up.

Another face hovered over her, shaking their blue head.

"Don't-" A pause. "What's her name again?"

"Latia. Why?"

She could see the mixture of shock and excitement on his face. "Really? Truly?"

A cold glare from Emma. "Why do you need to know?"

"Er... It's so close to my name... I was just thinking how strange it is."

"What's your name?"

Latia saw his red eyes glow. Curiosity welled up inside her, along with a sense of belonging she had never felt before.

"Latio."

_A/N: I feel really bad. I'm making stuff go fast... Yay review! Thank you!_


	4. Chapter 4

Destined: Ruby

Chapter 4

_A/N: Yay, hi again... Hi to my one reviewer, misty4ever! I hope you like this chapter! Anybody who's not reviewing but looking... Please review, it makes my day! Any reviews make my day! Yay! On to the chapter!_

It had been several days since the boy with blue hair and red eyes had joined them. Latia found herself wondering about him. His looks were strange, though not unknown. He himself never acted like Lee, or any other boy she had ever met.

She had avoided talking with him for that very reason... He seemed too... Inhuman.

A small voice said in the back of her mind, _'Like you know what human is.'_

And she had sat there, pondering where that thought had come from, on the back of the Wailmer, staring out at the water as if searching for a sign.

Things were changing far too fast for her to gain a hold on, and she didn't like it at all.

"Hold on, waterfall," Emma had mentioned, knocking her out of her reverie in a brisk way.

It was almost impossible to hold on to the slippery blubber that was the Wailmer's back, but she managed not to fall off.

Emma and Latio seemed to have no problems, as Emma had probably done it many times before.

As for Latio, he seemed to simply _float_ on the back of the Relicanth, as if he belonged to the sky and the earth and the pokemon at the same time.

Watching him as they pulled up into a meadow of flowers, she was surprised when he turned and gave her a smile.

"You all right?"

His eyes were nothing like Emma's, full of the sadness of the past and sorrow for the future, pulling whoever happened to look in. They were free, and happy, and swelling with a sense of accomplishment.

What the accomplishment was, she couldn't guess.

Thoughts swirled through her mind, and then Emma came over and gave a light tap on her shoulder.

"We're going in. I guess we'll see you at the other side, Latio."

His eyes seemed crushed under the brisk separation. Then they hardened, and he shook his head. "Can't I go with you? It'd be easier, and our pokemon would be less prone to fainting."

Latia dared not to look into Emma's eyes, but she could feel a sense of protectiveness.

Before the situation got any worse, as Emma and Latio seemed to not get along very well, she pulled out her pad and quickly wrote, _'It's okay. He can come.'_

Emma reluctantly took a step towards the cave, putting Wailmer back in his pokeball.

"All right. Let's go."

So they all began the journey through the cave and onwards towards Evergrande.

As they were progressing, they ran into several wild Lairons. They were easily wiped away with one Surf from Emma's Wailmer, and they continued onward.

The journey seemed to pass by in a flash for Latia, even though it took several hours for them.

But eventually, a light shone, and they all saw the exit of the cave. It was close, within sight. Emma began walking faster, but Latia froze instinctively, and she saw Latio do the same several steps ahead of her.

There was something wrong about the exit. It had... Something that could be like daylight, but something almost see-through seemed to be blocking the entrance...

Emma seemed to have no problem, and Latia couldn't bear to see her... _friend?_... go to danger, whatever it was.

Breaking free of her fear for that moment, she ran forward, hand out to pull Emma away.

"No!"

It was almost like a chain. Latio, too, ran forward, forgetting. The shock that Latia felt over him willing to risk something for an almost-stranger made her stop and turn.

She felt something slowly begin to turn in her memory, like a key in a lock.

But then Emma crumpled to the ground. Before she hit it, Latia heard a faint whisper.

"He's back... Deo, Deo, Deo. He's back, Deo. No, no..."

The memory froze tight again, as she rushed forward to try and drag Emma away from it.

Latio sprung forward as well, and then a chill swept through her.

She stopped again and looked up, above them, to the ceiling.

She could see something... The black in an area was slightly fuzzy, turning a teal-gray color.

It swept down towards the ground, swerving sharply to float in midair. It wasn't real, but it was still there. Barely a shape, it was more like a shadow of something long gone.

Something deep, and dark, and forever forgotten.

It turned away from Emma, and its' gaze fell upon Latia.

A slow rumble sent another chill down her spine. It was trying to speak, but its voice sounded unused and dead.

The shadow swept towards her, and she had no doubt that she was all it wanted, all it needed. She couldn't move. She was frozen, trapped in something that had to be. It was like drowning.

Then it was over, as a push sent her towards the cave floor. She glanced back, surprised and with a feeling of safety.

Latio stood where she had been, stubbornly and boldly facing the force. Glaring it in the eye, daring it to take what it wanted.

But as she felt her horror drain away, she saw him grow pale.

There was a new target, and it was him. Within seconds, the force had rushed foward, and Latio was gone, into the depths of the cave.

Emma slowly sat up, but Latia was frozen again.

He was gone.

_A/N: Well, it feels like a cliffhanger to me. Please review and tell me what you think!_

_To misty4ever: Thank you SOOOO much!! You make me so happy! And my story is EXCELLENT??? Thanks a ton!_


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: I'm back! Hi! Well, I figured I needed to get a lot done this week, since in a week I'm going to camp and after that vacation. So I think that this is 2 chapters in 3 days. WHEEE!!! Hope you enjoy it! Read and review! Thanks to my reviewer, misty4ever, and I hope that your camping trip went well with lots of sun and good food!_

Ruby

Out of the cave, in the sunlight, they could almost pretend that it was a bad dream. That Latio was simply off beating the Elite Four.

But one look at Emma's face told otherwise. It showed horror, confusion, betrayal, and sadness. For once, she dared to look into Emma's eyes.

The question didn't need to be asked. It almost floated on the wind.

_'What was that, and what do you know?'_

Emma shook her head, burying her hands in her face. If she hadn't known better, Latia would have thought she was crying.

"Deoxys. It was Deoxys. Latia, he's back. He was here before... But then, a... friend... of mine got rid of him." Emma grew silent.

Latia tried to suck this all in. Could this be why Emma was so sad?

She pulled out her pad. _'What happened to your friend?'_

Emma didn't remove her hands from her face. "He..." She paused and shook her head, refusing to say it aloud.

Latia felt a chill as it clicked in her brain. _'He died,'_ she realized. _'So this force can kill people. And it does.'_

Suddenly, even more worry rushed through her. What would it do to Latio? Latio, who got in its way... For her?

_'We have to chase it.'_ The words echoed through her mind, and they came out on the paper just as easily.

Emma finally removed her hands, revealing green eyes whose defenses had finally broke under everything.

"No matter what we do," she said, slowly, "We can't get rid of it." She took a shaky breath. "It can't die. It's... Not alive. Once... once, she told me a story. The story said that a force would come from the sky, but not from the heavens. That force would try and rule, but would be knocked down... Not dead, but not alive, either. And to help itself live again, it had to find a power source. Two children of destiny. If it caught them, the world would be plunged into darkness."

Two children of destiny. Why did that sound familiar?

_'Children of Destiny, Red and Blue_

_Sacrifice them; one, then two.'_

The verse was a small memory, distant. It wasn't a dream. She was sure she had heard it somewhere, told to her by a lilting voice, soft yet strong.

She wanted that memory very badly, but it slipped, and her thoughts came to rest on Latio.

Emma's eyes slowly regained their wall of sadness, and she was filled with what might have been determination.

"We'll find him. We may not be able to kill him, but we can try."

So they set out to find it. To save Latio, they had to.

He was nowhere in the cave they had just exited. They had asked every trainer, searched every corner. No matter what, they were gone from that place.

Emma seemed to have some sense of where it was, and so she lead their group of two.

"It will stay near the sea," she informed Latia at the beginning. "The sea is a constant force of unrivaled energy. It can't stray too far from it for too long or else it will fail to be altogether... That is, unless it finds another power source." She grew silent for a minute. "If he finds the children of Destiny, then he can go wherever he wants."

That sent chills down her spine, icy cold and terrifying.

Although she had no idea who or what the children of Destiny were, she wanted to protect them and the world from a fate like that.

While traveling near the sea on her Wailmer, who eventually evolved into a Wailord, the two grew as close as it probably was possible for anyone to be to Emma.

They had been searching for a week, or maybe two. They had searched Lilycove, and all of Mossdeep. Sootopolis was protected, Emma had said, by a strange force, and Slateport had none of it either.

It seemed that the only thing left was Pacifidlog Town.

It was strange that for all of the Hoenn region that touched ocean that it could have picked, it had chosen a small, ordinary little town that floated on the ocean. Something wasn't quite right.

Latia had never been to Pacifidlog before, but when she got there she felt a strange sense of... Home. Latia could barely recognize the sensation. She had always felt safe and happy with Mary, but here... This felt natural. It felt like Latia was a part of this place.

"Latia?" Emma gently prodded her on the arm. "are you okay?"

She nodded, then turned to glance towards the east of Pacifidlog. Ocean spread, with a few of what might have been small islands.

As soon as she set her eyes upon that ocean, she felt happiness mixed with a sense of dread.

She immediately averted her eyes. They came to rest on Emma's. Sorrow still filled them, but so did knowledge and understanding.

"You can... tell, can't you." It wasn't a question. It was a fact. "Deoxys is out there. Deoxys is out there with Latio."

Latia wrapped her arms around herself, then squeezed her eyes tight and nodded.

When she opened them, Emma had called out her Wailord into the ocean.

"We'll need to sail the currents. He'll be out there, probably on one of the islands."

"Hey," said a cute little voice.

However, Emma and Latia were both nervous, and whipped around as if a gun had been shot.

A little girl stood there, pale green hair curving delicately around her head as if a cup. Her blue eyes shone out from under her bangs, and she smiled at them.

"If you're going out into the currents," she said, "I'd be careful." She tilted her head sweetly to the side. "Mmm hmm. The swimmers have been feeling something coming on all day. My brother's a swimmer. He says that ever since about 4 days ago, they've been getting some feeling in the air." She smiled. "A storm. A bad one. Do you want to come inside my house? We can play."

Emma shook her head, but Latia could only stare at the little girl.

"We'll get to Slateport fast," Emma said, motioning with one hand and lying for some reason. "But if there is a storm, you should be inside."

The little girl nodded. "Okay. But if you need anything, then you can come see me. I hope everything goes well and I hope he's safe."

Emma seemed to have no response, just stared at the little girl's retreating form.

"Wailords may seem big," she added, "But they can get hurt too."

Latia's mind was a whirl. _'Wait... Was that little girl talking about her Wailord, or Latio?'_

She was still pondering when they were sailing out over the ocean. But eventually, after they scoured the top of the ocean, it was evident that Deoxys was nowhere to be found.

_'Maybe he's in the air,' _Latia had suggested, but she felt herself losing hope. Maybe her feelings were wrong.

Emma nodded, recalled her Wailord, and brought out her Swellow. Latia got on, and they flew off.

With the wind blowing through her hair as well as the foam off the ocean, she could almost sense that this had happened before. It felt so familiar... She had never flown before in her memory, but it seemed right. She was born to fly.

And then, everything was quickly knocked down as lightning crackled from the sky.

Swellow was hit, and Latia could feel the hot yellow energy searing through her even though she hadn't been directly hit.

Swellow rolled over, and for a minute, Latia was floating. Glancing towards Emma, she noticed her falling...

Emma was falling.

She stretched out a hand to help the falling girl, but she was going down too fast and Latia seemingly wasn't going down at all.

She disappeared into the ocean surf, the dark, deep navy water swallowing her.

Suddenly, Swellow was beneath her again, weak but not fainted. Thankfully, he was stubborn, and Emma had worked on his electric resistance... But still, something told her the lightning wasn't ordinary, or Swellow would be dead or fainted now.

No matter what the lightning was...

She had to rescue Emma. It was partly her fault they were out here, and so she swooped down to look for her in the water. But she was nowhere to be seen.

Thanking the heavens that she trained water pokemon, she motioned for Swellow to wait on a nearby island, and threw out her Milotic.

Then she dove after Emma, into the cold and deep water.

_A/N: I suppose you could call this a cliffhanger. That was a LOOONNNGGG chapter. Well, if you've played the videogame of Ruby and Sapphire, you'll know what's near Pacifidlog Town... What's deep under water in the currents... Well! Let's see how badly I can mess with the Braille and game and how well I can make this plot work!_

_misty4ever- Like I said, I hope your camping trip went well (I'm using past tense since you'll probably read this afterwards, but if you don't that's why) and that you have sun and good food! I love camping, so I hope you enjoy it. Thanks so much for your reviews! Maybe, just maybe, I got this out before you went on your trip!_

_Er... Well, that's about all I've got to say. If you're reading this story, then I hope you like it. I'm talking to YOU guys, 23 hits. Well, the next chapter will probably be up in a week or so. See ya!_


	6. Chapter 6

_A/N: Well, here's another chapter!! All right, I finally got it done! Sorry for any wait. Thanks to my reviewers (one who is on a camping trip)! You guys rock! Well, read, review, and enjoy!_

Ruby

Chapter 6

Latia had always enjoyed swimming. But there was nothing enjoyable about this. The water was cold, and deeper than she could expect. She couldn't even see the rocky bottom.

But walls of rock rose up beside her, forming a large canyon that seemed... Even more familiar.

She swam onward, her lungs beginning slight aches, signs that she needed to get through this, fast.

That shadow in front of her... Was it Emma?

But it disappeared, and it wasn't Emma. But it was...

She ran her fingers over the patterns, taking them in with her eyes and her fingers. She knew it was braille- She had seen braille before... But this was not braille alone.

_'Set your souls to rest_

_Sleep in the peace_

_Time does not matter_

_But time is a boundary_

_That does not exist here'_

She knew the words just by looking over them... Yet, the braille was too short to read that. And she had never learned braille.

So what was this?

Her red hair shifted around her, and she broke out of her reverie, gasping for air.

She had to go up. But Emma...

Emma wouldn't want two of them to die.

She prepared to release one of her pokemon from their pokeball and use them to search for Emma when she blacked out, and floated to the top.

She was shook awake by gentle, yet rough hands. She opened her eyes, and it was Emma.

She had failed. They were both dead. So this was-

"Latia. Wake. Latia, you may not believe this, but..."

Still drowsy, she sat up slowly.

Where was she?

"This is... Well, he says it's an underwater chamber that used to be a- Oh, you'll never understand if you don't hear yourself."

She rubbed her eyes, and looked around. There were several rocks carved with... braille... And in the middle of them sat

She intook a breath that sounded somewhat like a gasp.

A white and blue body, covered with strange markings, lay in the middle of the rocks, eyes open but not moving.

The eyes were a stubborn red, and burst with what might have been a sense of...

She slowly walked over to it, Emma following.

"It's... Latios. A myth. But it's real." Emma crouched down. "Can you... Hear him?"

Latios' eyes locked on hers, filling her with knowledge and amazing wonder.

_'My name is Latios.'_ He shifted, and Latia guessed he was trying to fly. _'...But I guess you would know me as Latio.'_

Another gasp from Latia. Yet she had somehow known this when she looked him in the eye.

_'No, that can't be possible,'_ she thought, shaking her head wildly. There was two slightly high pitched notes that sounded strangely like laughing.

_'It's possible.'_

_'Wait, that was in my-'_

_'It's called telekinesis. You're doing it too, and you don't even know it.'_ Two more high pitched notes. _'I've really missed you.'_

_'...Missed me?'_

"Missed her? What is that supposed to mean? Latios? You didn't say anything about..."

His eyes refused to look at them.

_'First, I need to explain some things. You'll probably want to sit. I THINK we're safe in here.'_

_'Safe?!'_

_'When I was small, I used to live in a place that isn't known anymore. It was called Altomare. I know it's a strange name, but we didn't even speak the same language as they do now.'_ He paused and glanced towards the floor.

_'It was a wonderful place. Nobody knew who created it- Nobody knew who created us. But we were there, and so was the city. In that city, there was always a prophecy that would terrify all the humans. You see, my family and I were only 3 pokemon. But we were... Special to the humans. We helped them. The prophecy was about a light that was born. This light would be some sort of gate to a force of some kind, that would... It would take control of us, and sink our city into the ocean.'_

A chill ran through Latia. _'It... Didn't happen, did it?'_

Latios looked into her eyes again. _'Have you ever even HEARD of Altomare in this day and age?'_

She shook her head, red hair flailing about wildly.

_'That's the answer to your question.'_

"Aren't you supposed to be godly and controlling?" Emma asked dryly. Her dislike for Latio had clearly broken through to Latios. "Not sarcastic?"

_'Just because we're legendaries doesn't mean we're perfect. Even the common pokemon know that. But humans just don't seem to get it.'_ He shook his head. _'Anyway, I do have something huge to say-'_

The earth began to shake.

Latia stumbled up from the ground, as Emma followed suit.

"I thought this chamber was safe!" Emma cried, not blaming him, just in shock.

_'Darn. This means that we have to-'_ He flexed his wings. _'Ugh, I have to go in human form again.'_

With a glow, Latio was in front of them. But now Latia was amazed at how she didn't guess who he was. The spiky blue hair, the red eyes... She had seen a carved picture of Latios before, a fairly accurate one. And floating beside it was its counterpart, Latias...

Latias. Remove the s from Latios' name, and it was Latio. Remove the s from Latias' name, and it was

"Latia! Are you listening?" It was Latio again. He didn't even move his mouth, yet it sounded like talking. That must be what he had done when he was Latio before. "You need to get in the hole I create the minute I do it. Emma, I need to borrow your Wailord in a bit." He held out a pokeball, and out popped a Diglet. "Dig!"

Where there had once been a wall, a hole was. Latia ran inside, followed closely by the others. Another room, slightly similar to the first, greeted them.

Latio ignored all the carved braille and simply ran to the front, grabbing Emma's pokeball along the way.

Emma began to violently shake, as did Latio. Latia herself seemed unaffected.

Emma fell to the floor, unable to stand with the vibrations.

Latio seemed to hold up better, but still trembled. Latia ran over to Emma, hoisting her up.

And then, they ran into the next hole that had appeared. Latia took one look over her shoulder. It only took one look.

The shadow was racing towards them, even more strongly defined, now. It had a shape, yet it didn't, the blackness of it swirling around in undefined patterns.

Emma whimpered slowly. "Deo."

But Latia ignored it and ran onwards, feeling the hole seal up behind her. She hoped she would never, ever see it again.

Latio was panting beside her, in the cavern they were now in.

It was dark, but warm, and comforting.

And then, a fleck of light appeared a ways away. Carrying the light, which must have been a lantern, was a little girl.

Her white robes gave her the appearance of something not of the earth. Her feet, however, were covered with green slippers. Her brown hair fell in messy rings around her face, golden ringlets on her arms, a burning fire dying in the water of her blue eyes.

And in a second, Latia knew who the little girl was.

"Hello, Latios," Regina said, happily, waving around her lantern at him. Then she looked directly at Latia. "Oh. You brought your sister back with you!"

_A/N: Oooooohhhh... You've probably been guessing who she was for a looooonnnggg time. However, I'm gonna keep the joy of it all for NEXT chapter! Talk about a cliffhanger! Anyway, thanks to my reviewers!_

_fandan2007- Well, if that's all you can say, then you must like it!!! Thank you so much for reviewing and I hope you enjoyed this!!!_

_misty4ever- Still on a camping trip. Wheee, now I've got 2 that are new for you!_


	7. Chapter 7

* * *

Ruby

7

Latia did not know how to respond to that. She simply stared at Regina, not bothering to put together the pieces of the complicated puzzle that was her life.

And then Latio gave her a look.

It was heart piercing, begging. Pleading with her to do something, of which she had no idea.

Latia took a slow step back.

Regina was oblivious to all of it, and simply walked over to both of them.

"I knew you'd be back soon. Stella said that you wouldn't be gone long..."

Stella. Another name brought up from her dream.

Latio didn't bother to open his mouth, but telepathic or not, his voice seemed cracked.

"We've been gone for a long time, Regina."

"Nonsense. It doesn't matter. You are still you." Her blue eyes peered up into his red ones, the reflection a stunning purple.

"I'm not sure who I am anymore."

Regina giggled and turned her gaze to Latia. "Tell him that he's being silly and that you can't change within minutes." She looked back at him. "Well, despite him being slightly more shy."

"Regina." His voice interrupted her unspoken words. "She doesn't even remember. I've told you. She doesn't... She doesn't." The words were filled with pain and loneliness. Shame that seemed wrong in his proud voice was there.

"Doesn't what?" Regina, though angelic, was still nothing but a child.

'I don't understand,' was all she could think. 'I don't remember. I don't even know what I'm supposed to remember.'

Eyes widened, Regina paced over to Latia. They looked her up and down, and then...

"Latias." It was almost a question. But it was an answer.

Emma stepped foward, and smiled hesitantly at Regina. "S-she can't really be-"

"Of course she is," his miserable voice cut into Emma's.

Emma's eyes widened as she too looked at Latia.

Latia's brain and heart felt as if someone had just beat them with a stick. If she was what they were saying she was... If her dreams really were memories...

She felt, with a gasp, her body begin to slowly shimmer and grow warm. It was not painful... But pressure and warmth were all around her. She didn't feel like Latia anymore.

Latia was disappearing.

And then the warmth faded as she collapsed to the ground on human legs.

Latio was immediately by her side, an arm around her defensively.

"What happened?" He demanded of Regina, more a question thrown to the heavens than to her.

Regina blinked. "Mother said that you two-"

"Lady Laru said what?"

"Mother said that there was some sort of thing that bound you to your human form..."

"But I can change," Latio pointed out, aggravated.

"That same bind also took away memories. She said something about, 'No regrets for what once was but never will be.'" She looked at Latio. "What could that mean?" She shook her head. "I'm glad that you two have returned. The water will be coming soon, and we don't want to be trapped." It was obvious that she knew something... And water?

Latia was exhausted. She had liked that feeling, in a way... And now, it was gone...

Latio was feeling confused, she could tell. At what, she didn't know. She was tired of not knowing.

"Regina, our city... The flood..." His eyes narrowed, he said, "You're not playing a game with me, are you?" At the words, 'our city', Latia realized who this was. Someone from that ancient city that Latios had spoken of. But how could that be? The person before her must be very old... She frowned. She couldn't be more than six. And, too, if the city was truly ancient, then how was she alive?

"No." Regina looked like she might giggle, but then her expression changed. "What about the flood? What about our city sinking into the ocean?"

"It's already come. I thought that you wouldn't be here, that you would have been long gone... But here you are. Your age hasn't even changed."

"Nonsense." Regina seemed slightly panicked, but still mostly calm. "The flood hasn't come yet. Mother would be here if it had come. She would be! And you haven't been gone for more than a minute or two..."

Latio's confusion shifted into deep understanding and a sense of terror.

"She wouldn't have. Lady Laru wouldn't have done that-"

_'Done what?'_ Latia... Or Latias... demanded.

His face turned grim. "She put a time lock on this place. We need to leave. Now." He turned to Regina. "You're coming with us."

Her face turned sour as her brown ringlets trembled. "Mother said to wait here. She said to wait until after the flood-"

Grabbing her arm, Latio transformed and began to drag a screaming Regina towards the rock wall. Latia followed tentatively, with Emma trailing behind.

"I WILL NOT LEAVE MOTHER!!" Regina screamed. With a loud crack, Latios was sent flying, with a loud thump, into the rock wall. He did not move.

_'BROTHER!'_ The title fell from her mind as easily as if she had said it all her life.

Regina shook her head. "NO. NO!"

Emma turned to her, and her face changed into one of understanding.

"Don't hate the past, Regina! You can't... You can't change it, no matter what." She smiled softly, and held out a hand. Latia had never seen her smile like that before. Never. It was as if through Regina's refusal that the flood had occured, that her mother was dead... Emma had realized that her own past shouldn't have a hold on her, and was trying to make Regina understand.

But Emma was so much older and more mature than Regina. Would it work?

As her scowl grew deeper, Latia realized that letting go was not something that Regina would ever do, not until she saw her mother.

Regina would be here forever, until she died. Latia did not understand what a time lock was- did not know all about Regina and her mother. But she knew that this place was something like a curse to the poor little girl.

Someday, maybe, she and Latios could try again, maybe with Emma. But not now.

_'Leave her.'_ This time, she was sure of herself. Emma dropped her arm like a rock, and turned away. Regina crossed her arms and watched them go to Latios, the fire in her eyes burning more fiercely than ever.

_'Brother?'_

"She still can hurt." Latios winced. "Why did her mother ever invent that machine for her to use that pokemon move?" He laughed weakly. "Joy. Now I can't fly or walk."

"We could carry you. But why are we leaving?" Emma was concerned. "Deoxys might still be out there. We haven't even been in here for more than ten minutes."

"Wrong." Latio's eyes lit up with a familiar fire. "The time lock on this place has made it... Oh, how can I explain this quickly...?! Well, let's just say that time in here passes a LOT slower than time out there. It's kind of like time travel for the people outside of the time lock, but it's a one way trip. The longer we stay, the farther in the future we go. While I've been talking, a few days outside have probably already passed."

Emma gave a little gasp, but slowly began to hoist Latios up on her back.

Latia grabbed a part of him, and took part of the weight. As they stepped outside, into light, she took one glance back at Regina.

Arms still crossed, she did not glare icily at them. Her eyes were closed, tears slowly running down her cheeks.

For what, Latia would probably never know.

* * *

_A/N: GAAAHHHH I feel so stupid! Like I said, tell me if you've got a question. Thanks to my reviewers!_

_misty4ever- Yay for lots of vacation! I say that vacation is necessary before school and work!_

_Oh, and thanks to people who have alerts on my story. YES, I CAN SEE YOU!!! MWA HA HA!!_

_Whew, long ANs. Anyway, the next chapter will be out soon. Less time than this took, I promise._


	8. Latias

_A/N: As not to wreck what I hope is a good ending, my dry sense of humor and talking to reviewers will be up here instead! Wheee!!! I'm sorry if this chapter is a bit sarcastic and REALLY, REALLY long- but it kinda just happened. Anyhoo, yay for last chapter, and I hope you enjoyed the story. If you've got any questions, just ask me, and I might actually tell you that it's... GASP... SUPPOSED TO BE THAT WAY!! Not in a mean way, because there is some stuff in here that I meant to explain but haven't. Anyhoo, I actually am planning a spin-off. So if you see anything with Destined: in the title, that's it. Naturally, if it's by me. I'm not quite sure when it's coming out, because I kinda have to plot it... But you don't have to read it if you don't want to!! I'm sorry if I'm annoying. Anyway, after the LONGEST A/N ever, I shall have my notes to the awesomest reviewers of all time! And then I'll move on to the longest CHAPTER ever (in this story)! Oh, and I don't own pokemon (I actually remembered to say it!!)._

_misty4ever- YAAAYYYY, you've seen me through this ENTIRE story!! You rock! And thanks for the compliment! I'm glad that you think it's cool, and I think it kind of is, too, but it's a bit more serious than what I usually write. However, I think it'll be okay. Thank you so much again, and I hope that you like this chapter!!_

* * *

She lay on the back of the Wailord, looking up at the empty dark blue sky. Almost nightfall. Nothing looked different. Nothing at all. 

Emma sat on her right, eyes wide, looking around her like she had never seen Hoenn before.

Latio, in human form, lay on her left, he too staring up at the sky.

They had ridden in silence, unknowing what to say. It was too much for Latia to take. Then Emma broke the silence.

"It doesn't look any different," Emma murmured, pointing towards the skyline. "I can't even see Pacifidlog town."

Latio's eyes closed, the rubies in them hiding a troubled look.

"It might be gone."

There was a silence on the other end, and Latia thought that Emma might be shocked by that fact.

But instead, she simply murmured, "Oh, my. Oh, my."

Latia bolted up, looking towards where Emma's eyes were pointed. On the horizon, what looked like a floating large city sat on the water. This was not the Pacifidlog they had left behind.

The lights from the tall buildings made the town look like a party. Every building was about as tall as all the buildings in the old Pacifidlog stuck together.

Latia could hardly look. For some reason, the changed Pacifidlog made her sad. Although the old town hadn't been as modern and exciting as other places, the new one seemed too showy and flashy.

Like all the innocence in it had died.

A city floating peacefully on Corsola... Pokemon upholding humans in their life, with no expectancy for thanks whatsoever... The city before them made that legend look like some sort of joke.

_'You think like Mother, you know,'_ Latio interrupted her thoughts with a new crushing fact.

_'W-what?!'_ Although she knew she had a brother, the fact that she had had a mother... Had had PARENTS... Had completely slipped her mind.

_'Sorry.'_ He, too, sat up, and gave her a sorrowful smirk. _'Now that you've started telekinesis, you need to learn to not do it so often. I promise I won't try to pry into your thoughts again, sis.'_

Sis... She threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. Mary and Robert had been like her parents... But their children were long gone off to other cities to do great things. She had never had anything remotely like a sibling before... And with all of what had been happening, she hadn't had time to digest it fully. When Latia was a little girl, she had watched other brothers and sisters, secretly wishing that she had one. Family like that had looked like the most wonderful thing in the world, then.

"Latias, get OFF me!! I know it's great to see me and all, but you don't have to be so sisterly!" He sounded annoyed, but he hugged her back shortly, then pulled away.

The look on his face was enough to let her know that he had missed her so much more than he had let on earlier.

Emma looked back at the siblings, then shook her head, smiling.

Smiling, again. But as Latia turned to face the floating city, Emma shook her head.

"I wonder how much my hometown has changed," she said wistfully.

"Everything changes with time," Latio remarked. "And sometimes not the way we'd like it to."

"I know." Emma stopped and took a deep breath, her eyes following the ever-nearer island.

"I guess we should go there." Latio took a deep breath. "To Pacifidlog, I mean. And I guess you should go home." He motioned to Emma. "Who knows how long it's been since your family's heard from you. They'll probably all be worried." Emma smiled wistfully as Latia remembered that her parents were dead.

_'My family will be, too,'_ Latia whispered, partly to herself and partly to her brother.

His eyes widened. "Oh." She could sense his disappointment. He obviously hadn't known that she even HAD a... different family.

Emma raised an eyebrow to the two of them. "If you guys didn't remember, I'm not as good with the whole telekinesis bit as you are." Latia laughed silently. She had never heard Emma be... DRY before.

But their temporary happiness stopped as the Wailord let out a blast of water.

"We're there," Emma murmured.

Latia stepped onshore, and had to cover her eyes to shield them from the sudden light.

Latio swung his legs over the side, but then winced.

Emma turned around. "Do you need a hospital...?"

Latio frowned. "Sure. I can hear the doctors now. 'What's your name?' 'Latio.' 'Your whole name.' 'Gee, I don't know. Pokemon don't have last names. I'm a pokemon, you see, from a world that's now lost beneath the-'"

"We get it," Emma muttered, cutting him off. She tapped her chin. "Latia-... er... Latias?" She gently prodded. "Ah, you can tell me that later."

Latia gave her a weak smile. _'Emma... How are you taking all this so calmly?'_

Emma shrugged. "I'm a pokemon trainer, Latia. And there's a lot you don't know about me. I've seen strange things like this before..." She smiled back, then motioned to Latio. "I'm going to go get some bandages, then I'll come back and try to administer some first aid."

"I'll be dead soon," Latio groaned. "Dead, dead, dead. To my only family member, I leave behind my sad thoughts and will-"

Latia gave him a little nudge.

He grinned at the two of them, then winced again and fell back onto the Wailord.

But with Emma gone and Latio tired, Latia had too much time to think.

_'What am I supposed to do? I still have that... bind... or whatever Regina was talking about, and I don't fully have my memories. I can't even change form! And now, what am I supposed to say to Mary and Robert when I go back? I can't tell them that I'm actually an ancient and rare pokemon that happened to wash up on their shores after a storm...'_

She slumped down into the sand. Her future had once seemed set in Sootopolis- Stay there for forever with Mary and Robert, maybe get married, have children... Pokemon can have dreams too.

Even if they're false, in a way.

But now, with light shed on her past, she wasn't even sure that she wanted to stay with this new brother. But now, she couldn't even go back and pretend like nothing had happened, thanks to the time skip...

"Latia..." Emma was gently waving a hand in front of her face. "Latia... I need you to hold this for me while I wrap it around Latio's leg. I think he's sprained it."

Her head jerked up. Emma was back already?

Emma gave her a smile, then turned around. "Stick it OUT, Latio."

Latio sat sulking upon the sand, one leg protectively beneath him, the other now held out for Emma.

She slowly began to wrap the leg, and then finished, sighing. "Latio, what are we going to do about your wings? You can't transform here so I can put medicine on..."

"I can help," said a voice.

Emma and Latia whirled around to be faced by a girl about their age, smiling knowingly. Something about her was eerily familiar.

"Latias can change into her form and carry Latios over to one of those islands. Nobody swims there anymore since the storm the day that you left. My brother died in the currents, you see, trying to get back to land." She tilted her head, her pale green hair falling to the side. "It's okay if you don't remember me." Her hair was long, about to her stomach, curving delicately around her body like a cup, or a rosebud... Her blue eyes were wide and innocent, but mischevious.

"Who are you?" Emma asked in surprise.

"Me?" The girl giggled. "My name's Serena."

Latio narrowed his eyes. "Are you going to explain anything?"

Latia agreed with that. She was tired of having her life shrouded in mystery.

"No." She smiled. "Now, c'mon! Let's get this show on the road!" She held out her hands towards Latia, who shrunk back. Who was this girl?

Serena blinked, then kneeled down by Latio, causing Latia to stand and move closer protectively. "How bad is your leg? How bad are your wings?"

He glared up at Serena, but the sight of Serena shorter than her, eyes wide and slightly scared, but knowing, reminded Latia of a little girl they had met not long ago. She gasped, then quickly used telekinesis.

_'This is the little girl we met before, Emma!'_

Emma blinked and looked the girl in the eye. "The one that seemed to mention Latio?" She observed Serena for a second, then slowly nodded.

"That was me," Serena agreed softly, smiling a little. "So, Latia... Latias... Do you want to change back? Do you want to be Latias? Because... Because I can do it." The spark in her eyes made Latia believe her.

Latia froze, watching as Emma looked on in surprise, Latio smiled at her, then his face was overtaken by sorrow...

She felt horrible. Here he was, having searched for her, and sacrificed himself for her to Deoxys... And now, when the moment arose when she could become her old self again, she didn't answer with a solid yes... But it was just so hard! Could she even change back? And was she ready to become something so important, so powerful, so amazing as Latias...? Was she ready to... BE Latias? She wasn't even sure of herself.

Latio turned his head away, the look on his face suggesting thought.

Finally, he spoke. "You don't have to." No 'It's okay if you don't' or 'I'm fine with it.'

Because he wasn't telling anything but the truth.

"It's hard to change, Latias. But all things change with time, no matter what." Serena swallowed. "Someday, the bind will break, no matter what. And you won't be with your brother when... When Deoxys comes for you again."

Latia jerked her head up. _'Again?!'_ She whispered in her mind.

Serena nodded, hearing the telekinesis, proving what she could do even more. "He's not dead. We don't know if it's even possible to kill him."

Latio stood, shaking, on one foot. "I WILL kill him, even if it kills me. He won't get Latias." He was firm, stubborn, just as if he was facing Deoxys over again.

Latia sat, with a thump, in the sand. He was still protective, loving her as a sister, even when she had not agreed to change back and be with him...

"I know it's not easy, Latias. But the safest way for you, for Latios, is to be together."

Tears dotted her eyes. _'My old family, though...'_

"I didn't say you couldn't visit your family." Latia liked how she didn't refer to them in past tense, like they still were hers... "You can change back and forth if you want. Why, look at Latios." She smiled. "And once I release your bind, Latias, you'll get all of your memories and all of your powers back."

The switch was tempting and perfect. She would still be able to visit her family, and she would be able to... to FLY around with Latios! Her brother, Latios!

But a question was still put in her mind, another one that seemed almost as important as everything else.

_'If I become Latias... Then will I still be Latia? Will I still be me?'_ The thought of being a legendary, a godly pokemon with so much power, scared her.

Latio turned his head back towards her, eyes shining with... Tears?

"You've always been yourself, Latia. Latias, Latia... Whatever I call you, you're always still... You're always my sister to me. You're always still you."

Latia stood, and walked towards the three- But mainly towards Serena, her hands extended as Serena had done before.

_'Please.'_

Serena smiled, then outstretched her hands as well, and Latia felt something click within herself.

The warm feeling she had before returned, this time stronger, and even more exciting... But more peaceful, serene, and calm.

She saw, as if on videotape, every event in her life whizzing by, memories unleashed. Some scared her- Others comforted her. And when the flow of memories was gone, she was floating at first in the warmth... And then in a sea breeze.

Floating.

Flying.

Latias.

* * *

_'Are you ready to go?'_ Latios' mouth did not attempt to move, but he smiled. 

She nodded, then gave a slow-pitched sad note. _'We never said goodbye to Emma.'_

_'She's probably still sleeping.'_ They had snuck out that morning, away from the pokemon center filled with sleeping human forms. They now flew several feet above a beach, looking down upon the city. It did not look nearly as intimidating from the sky.

_'Yes, but...'_ Her amber eyes spotted a lone figure on the beach, black hair blowing in the wind. She let out a high note, a happy, glad note, and flew downwards, almost spiraling out of control. Although flying had come naturally, in a way, she had little expertise. Her wings were not as exercised as they had been, and felt cramped, and sometimes she forgot they were there, and would drop suddenly, scaring Latios senseless. But she would catch herself then, and once again float peacefully.

There was a lot she enjoyed about being Latias, a natural sense of being, peace, calm, having a brother that cared for her... But besides the last, the thing she loved most was the flying, the floating, the happy sense of being free.

_'Emma?'_ She called in her mind, aiming for the figure.

It turned, and it was indeed Emma.

She stopped short at the tears and smile on Emma's face. She couldn't seem to make up her mind.

Finally, she spoke. "I guess it's goodbye, then, Latia."

Latias nodded, then slowly let the cool that she easily held at bay come over her body. It was like jumping into an ocean on a hot summer day- Immediate comfort and cool.

And just like that, she wasn't floating anymore.

Not outside, anyway.

_'I won't forget you. I promise, Emma.'_

Emma smiled, then wiped away several tears. "I've had many people leave me, Latia. Friends that I haven't seen in a while." She grew silent, then looked up at Latia with a smile. "So you better visit me sometimes." She paused. "I went on the phone with a man you've never met- His name's Professor Birch. I'm going to be working with him in his pokemon lab."

Latia's eyes widened. _'THE Professor Birch?'_ She had seen him several times on TV.

"Yes. He was my neighbor. He gave me my Blaziken. It was a Torchic then. He knows how much I love pokemon."

Latia didn't even know Emma HAD a Blaziken.

There was a lot she didn't know.

But what she did know was that Emma was a wonderful friend and someone who deserved to have a much happier life than that she had led.

_'Latios and I will visit you.'_

Emma nodded. "Be careful, Latia. I don't want you to run into trouble. If what Serena said is true, Deoxys is still after you."

_'Latios and I can hold him, hopefully.'_ She smiled at Emma, her amber eyes close to tears.

_'We'll stay in contact, and we'll stay close. I promise.'_

She held her arms out for a hug, which Emma gave her.

Emma was much more fragile than she appeared- Images are always in the dark, it seems.

But there is always a way to shed light on the truth.

As Latios swooped down from the sky for a final farewell, after giving the friends some space, Latia changed once more into Latias.

Then Latios and his sister, Latias, flew away into the horizon.

Life is a precious thing. It's important to take what life gives you, whether you think it's good or not.

As she flew up into the sky, Latia became in mind and soul what she was, and what she had always been.

Latias.


End file.
